David Petraeus resigns as CIA director
Michael Morell will serve as acting director.
CIA director David Petraeus resigned on Friday, releasing a statement that he had been involved in an extramarital affair.
“I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” Petraeus said. “Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours.” Michael Morell, Petraeus' deputy, steps in as acting director.
Newly re-elected President Obama, in a letter accepting his resignation, expressed his gratitude to Petraeus. “By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger,” the president said.
The CIA has come under scrutiny following a fatal attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. A Wall Street Journal report this month, citing unnamed officials, raised questions over whether a lack of adequate security at the facility was a result of “a secret and possibly confused arrangement between the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency.” The CIA reportedly had a presence in the diplomatic compound.